Untitled article by Mrs. L. D. Avery-Stuttle

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Dec 13, 1905

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 31, No. 50.

EDUCATION IN THE HOME. NO. 28.

By Mrs. L. D. Avery-Stuttle

YES; what do you want to sing, Billy?'' echoed Mattie. ''If you don't mind,'' said Billy, blushing at his own boldness, ''I'd like to hear that song about the pilgrim again,—the one the preacher folks sung so long ago in the old log schoolhouse, that grandma told us about. I was telling my grandmother of it the other night. I'd like to learn it.'' ''You're like me, Billy,'' smiled grandma, ''I never get tired of hearing that hymn.'' And so Elsie seated herself at the organ, and all joined in singing— ''Mark that pilgrim lowly bending.'' This was followed by other selections, until finally Brother Hartman suggested that the study of the evening be continued.

''Suppose you read the narrative found in 1 Samuel 28, Josie, that we may see exactly what the inspired writer has to say concerning one of the saddest mistakes ever committed by that reckless monarch, King Saul.'' Carefully and slowly Miss Josie read the chapter, from the third to the twenty-first verse, while Mr. Jones followed her closely, with his finger upon the text. ''That's the place, Mr. Hartman,'' he repeated nervously, ''and if that isn't a vindication of Spiritualism, then I don't know. I've not much use for the doctrine, tho it seems to me that this rather sets the seal of truth on these manifestations—that is, that it seems to favor the idea of possible communication with the dead.'' ''I fear you misapprehend me, neighbor,'' replied Brother Hartman. ''It is not that we disbelieve in the power of Spiritualism to perform wonders,—I think we have already made it perfectly plain that we do not consider it a mere sleight-of-hand deception. The deception consists in assuming to materialize spirits of the dead, while the fact is that it is evil angels who assume the form of the departed. But we will ask Beth to give us a short synopsis of the whole story; after which we will study it more closely.'' Little Beth was always pleased whenever she was accounted able to take an active part in the study; and she responded promptly: ''Once there was a great king by the name of Saul. He used to be good, but finally he got to be so bad that the Lord would not answer him any more. One day the Philistines came to fight with his people. This made King Saul very much afraid, and he trembled. So he went to an old woman who was a witch. Grandma says that means that the woman was a medium. The woman lived in Endor. But Saul had, before this, commanded the witches to leave the country, because God was so displeased with them He did not want them to be near His own people, grandma says. Well, Saul told the witch he wanted to see Samuel, who was dead. So when she saw something that looked like Samuel, Saul said that he wanted to know what he would better do with those Philistines. The familiar spirit told him that the king's army would be beaten, and that the king and his sons would be with him on the morrow,—I 'pose that meant they would die.'' With a sigh of satisfaction, Beth resumed her seat on the ottoman at grandma's knee.

''You've done very well, for a little girl,'' commented her father. ''Now let us study closely to see if this spirit which appeared to the witch was the departed spirit of the prophet Samuel, or whether it was a lying spirit—the spirit of a devil—or evil angel.'' ''But, Mr. Hartman,'' interrupted Mr. Jones, ''does'nt it say that Saul perceived that it was Samuel?'' ''Certainly he perceived that the description the witch gave was a very good description of Samuel. But we have found by our past study that Satan has power to transform himself into an angel of light. So in this instance, he simply personified Samuel. My proof?—Certainly; Mr. Jones, please read verse eight, last clause:'' ''And he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring him up whom I shall name unto thee.'' ''So this was a witch; she had a familiar spirit, and was divining by it. Now, Mr. Jones, could that have been done by the power of God? Please read Lev. 19:31.'' ''Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards to be defiled by them.'' ''Well,'' interrupted Billy, with a smile, ''I'm thinking God didn't have much to do with that old witch, nor with King Saul, either.'' ''No,'' said Walter, ''I guess you are right, Billy.'' ''But we have still more proof that God could have had nothing to do with this affair,—and if not God, surely there remains but one conclusion,—it must have been done by wonder-working demons. In Deut. 18:9-15 we learn that it was because of these very things that God drove out the wicked inhabitants of the land from before His people, and He there expressly declares that these shall not be found among His people Israel. Mrs. Grey, does King Saul think for a moment that this revelation was from God? verse six, last clause.'' ''I think he must have known it was not,—at least he says so:—'The Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets nor by dreams.'' ''Well, then, we have Saul's plain acknowledgment that the prophets of God would not answer him. Beth, was Samuel God's prophet?'' ''O yes, papa, from the time he was a little boy.'' ''Of course; well, then, this appearance could not have been Samuel.'' ''Don't you think, father,'' asked Mattie, ''that it looked rather guilty in Saul to go sneaking off to see the witch in the dead of night?'' ''It does look a little that way,'' smiled Mrs. Wilber. ''But we are not done yet, Mr. Jones,'' continued Brother Hartman. ''If it was the immortal spirit of that good man Samuel, where do you think it would have come directly from?'' ''Why, from heaven, I suppose,'' faltered Mr. Jones. ''But this spirit did not come down at all,'' interrupted Mrs. Grey, ''it comes up,—verse 14: 'and she said, an old man cometh up.'' ''And, further,'' remarked Elsie, ''we must remember that Samuel was buried away off at Rama, some sixty miles from Endor, so it could n't have been even Samuel's body.'' ''There is one point more, father,'' said John. ''No one has mentioned that this spirit told Saul a falsehood!'' ''A falsehood!'' exclaimed Mr. Jones. ''Is that possible?'' (To be continued.)